Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
First of all this is classed as a children’s book. Ho no. Definitely YA, latter YA.
This book was so dark. And sad. And very very good.
We follow Tom, a Historian Apprentice on board London which is now a rolling, steampunk like engine, alive. Which needs other small towns, cities to eat to survive. This is definitely a unique setting, and really character driven – I am very surprised this escaped my notice growing up as this definitely captures my imagination and interest now.
There are loads of top female characters in here, really strong and it’s so refreshing to read them and known they were written more than ten years ago.
This book is hard hitting, graphic and daring. The characters are written in grey, they are human beings, good and bad making decisions that aren’t always the right ones to make. Reeve demonstrates how to write people, young or old, alone or in love- it’s one of the main beauties of this book.
I am definitely carrying on with the series, especially knowing the film adapted by Peter Jackson is soon to be with us this year, it would be nice to know the rest of the journey Tom goes on, and the fate of the rest of the Hunting Ground.
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